Metal Mayhem ROC...On The Road with STRYPER

Apr 03, 2023

 STRYPER

Del Lago Resort and Casino

Waterloo, NY

April 1, 2023

I’ve been a fan of STRYPER since 1985. A good friend turned me onto to them during the SOLDIERS UNDER COMMAND era. Now remember this was 1985 and being labeled a Christian band was taboo in the "METAL" scene. While bands like MERCYFUL FATE, SLAYER and VENOM had street cred with their Satanic imagery, a Christian band like STRYPER singing about hope and positive higher power was considered taboo. Pretty stupid, Huh.

Almost 40 years later that " TABOO" band is still recording, touring and spreading their message of hope and positive higher power around the globe.

Fresh from a short Australian and New Zealand warm up tour STRYPER brought their much anticipated THE FINAL BATTLE 2023 US Tour to Del Lago Resort and Casino in Waterloo, NY this weekend.

While many bands that have been around for this long, it’s not uncommon for there to be only one original member. STRYPER is the opposite.

Michael Sweet (vocals, guitar), Robert Sweet (drums), Oz Fox (guitar) are all original with only Perry Richardson (bass guitar) replacing original bass player Tim Gaines in 2018. This lineup is killer.

       

With a set that melds old school STRYPER with their wonderful more recent output the balance is perfect. Michael Sweet still hits all the notes as effortlessly as ever and the new rhythm section of Robert Sweet and Perry Richardson sound wonderful.

  

  

We’re blessed to have Oz Fox there two who holds it all together and surely is one of the best backing vocalists out there.

Tonight’s set list contained 17 songs from 9 different releases. Heavily represented was the To Hell with The Devil release with 5 cuts. No other release had more than 2.

The set opened with the first song of the 2022 The Final Battle CD and Transgressor. Transgressors a ride like no other. You take off at 100 MPH and it doesn't let up until the very last note. For those that think STRYPER is just bumble bee outfits and sing along songs, this track dispels that. We will get to sing along songs later, but this track sets the tone for the show.

They pivot into Loving You, from the Yellow and Black Attack. This quickly creates a mood shift as brothers Michael and Robert Sweet reminds us how much of an awesome team they are.  Powerful vocals and pounding drums and that sing along harmony that STRYPER has just perfected. Been awhile since I heard this and it was a treat to rediscover this track.

 

The momentum continues to escalate with 'More Than A Man' and 'Surrender'. Staying in the early part of their career, these cuts, much like loving you, are old songs that I haven’t really have heard much lately.

Then the band relives the fan favorite ‘Calling On You'. Michael Sweet takes a walk down Heavy metal memory lane and talks about back in the day, calling MTV and voting for this song to get played. WOW!!! What a blast from the past.

  

Major portion of the rest of the set bounced back n forth from To Hell With The Devil, to In God We Trust.

The band did a fantastic job sampling at least one track from most of their releases. Revelation- NO MORE HELL TO PAY, Sorry- GOD DAMN EVIL, All for One- AGAINST THE LAW exemplified what STRYPER has been releasing over the course of the last 20 years.

I have a feeling that as this US Tour continues, different cuts will be rotating in and out to keep things fresh.

No Rest for the Wicked- from the new THE FINAL BATTLE went over well. Crunchy guitar and shredding leads were well received.

Let’s talk about Michaels Shredding. Dude can flat out play. Always has always will.

 

The set turns the corner with the groups stand out tracks. Fans in the crowd go nuts for 'Soldiers Under Command'. This is an absolute anthemic banger, with thundering drums and shredding guitars. You feel the vibration of the soldiers’ feet marching towards their victory through the bass and drums – clearly a fan favorite. Heads are snapping to the beats and there is more than a hair windmill or three to be spotted in the crowd.

Saving the more familiar cuts for last, we get 'To Hell With The Devil' – an absolute classic instrumentally. With Killer guitar riffs and stunningly powerful vocals. The crowd eats this right up.

And the Final cut -Sing Along Song. This was surprising as a final number but went over well. Again, STRPER reminded everyone that they can flat out harmonize. GREAT STUFF!!!!

 

In Summary, I enjoyed tonight’s journey that STRYPER took us on. With almost 40 years of releases, it’s tough to play everything, but STRYPER gave us a nice sample of what they have created. I enjoyed the show and will be coming back again.

Vernomatic

 

Set List

Transgressor- THE FINAL BATTLE

Loving You- YELLOW AND BLACK ATTAK

More Than a Man-

Surrender-SOLDIERS UNDER COMMAND

 Calling on You- TO HELL WITH THE DEVIL

 Free- TO HELL WITH THE DEVIL

 In God We Trust- IN GOD WE TRUST

 Revelation- NO MORE HELL TO PAY

 Sorry- GOD DAMN EVIL

 All for One- AGAINST THE LAW

 Always There for You-IN GOD WE TRUST

 Divider- EVEN THE DEVIL BELIEVES

 No Rest for the Wicked- THE FINAL BATTLE

 No More Hell to Pay- TITLE TRACK

 Soldiers Under Command- SOLDERS UNDER COMMAND

 To Hell with the Devil- TO HELL WITH THE DEVIL

 Sing-Along Song-TO HELL WITH THE DEVIL

 

STRYPER SOCIAL MEDIA:

https://stryper.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Stryper

https://www.instagram.com/stryper/

https://twitter.com/Stryper

https://www.youtube.com/stryperofficial

 

 

 

 

 

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